Our story continues in God’s garden. The serpent, whom the apostle Paul will later call the tempter, has approached the woman (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5; Revelation 12:9). Her heritage is innocence. She has not seen an act of disobedience nor willfully disobeyed God. What she and her husband possess is the ability to […]
How the Devil Changes Our Theology Read More »
Luke 4:16-30 Understanding the Congregational Response Now, Jesus has finished reading. He has explained the passage in Isaiah and announced, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing (or in your ears).” In a previous essay, we saw how this sentence answers the critical question: Who is Jesus? From there, we learned what Jesus’
Jesus’ Good News – Part 3 Read More »
This story begins in a garden. It is a garden planted by God. He abides here along with every bird and every beast. You can talk with him. He has also filled the garden with good food and beautiful trees. Here, you won’t go hungry. At the center of this garden are two trees. These
How the Devil Redirects our Hearts Read More »
Have you ever wondered why the woman wasn’t scared of the talking serpent? Remember how I said we weren’t alone? Something else was in the Garden. I wasn’t alluding to the serpent. To answer this question, we must revisit why, at creation, God spoke in the plural (Genesis 1:26-28). Growing up and in school, teachers
Why was Eve Not Afraid? Read More »
Feelings are great liars. If Christians worshipped only when they felt like it, there would be precious little worship. Feelings are important in many areas but completely unreliable in matters of faith.” – Eugene Peterson I found the quote above in my Facebook feed. Quick disclaimer: I acknowledge this quote must have a larger context.
Feelings and Faith Read More »